In the prior art, a variety of plug-in couplings are known, which serve the connection of two components. Depending on the construction of the plug-in coupling, which cooperates mostly with a ball stud or ball pin, and the material choice thereof, different connection properties are realized. The terms ball stud and ball pin are used synonymously. They designate an elongated pin-like component having a ball-shaped end.
DE 299 20 379 U1 and EP 0 902 198 B1 describe plug-in couplings, which can dampen oscillations of the components due to their construction and the elastic material of which they consist. This is realized especially by a certain movability of the ball head after it has been snapped into the coupling with the ball socket encompassing it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,428 describes a similar construction. By means of this plug-in coupling, and similar to DE 299 20 379 U1 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,204, a cladding part is attached to a supporting part, for example a frame structure of a motor vehicle. Cladding parts are mostly components having a low weight and a certain flexibility. Therefore, the coupling is less complex in its stability compared to the fastening of rigid and heavy parts. Further, especially at cladding parts, oscillations must be dampable, which is ensured by the flexibility and elasticity of the coupling material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,428 describes for this purpose a coupling with two ball spaces or ball sockets connected in series, into which the ball head of the ball stud can snap-in. The first ball socket determines a connection between coupling and ball head for pre-mounting the two components while the second ball socket determines the final fastening position between coupling and ball head. Altogether, these plug-in couplings are not suitable for the connection of rigid, large and heavy components, as the oscillation behavior thereof would cause an uncontrolled loosening or detaching of the plug-in coupling.
A further type of plug-in coupling, which is especially suitable for mechanically loaded connections, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,548 and DE 10 2013 102 197 A1. The here described couplings receive the ball head in that the ball head snaps-in behind webs, which are inclined in insertion direction. The webs abut the ball head and are attached or fastened at the coupling on one side. During the attempt to remove the ball head from the coupling, they are pivoted against the insertion direction. This leads to the webs blocking the inlet and outlet opening of the coupling due to their length and the only limited pivotability. Therefore, the connection between ball head and coupling can only be released by destroying the coupling. This is especially disadvantageous in case of the necessity of releasing a connection, as the coupling has to be replaced subsequently.
It is therefore an object of at least some implementations of the present invention to provide a plug-in coupling for connecting two components, which is mechanically highly loadable and releasable or detachable at the same time. Especially, a plug-in coupling that can reliably and releasably fastening heavy components at each other, preferably having a mass about 500 g, being exposed to the stresses of mechanical oscillations in the range of about 0 to 200 Hz.